Monthly Archives: July 2022
The Good And Bad Impacts Of Online Gaming
The Good And Bad Impacts Of Online Gaming
The world of online games has received a fillip ever since the Internet revolution began and made its mark in the lives of regular people. We can still recall a time when we were limited by slow computers with crawling dialup speed. Back in those days, one could never even have thought of the way in which the online gaming industry would soon be developing. Today, online games are very advanced.
In the world of today, gaming has advanced to an amazing degree. Things like streaming 3-D animation graphics with superb surround sound stereo now have the ability to make us all addicted to gaming.
Playing online games is so much more different than playing games in a single player mode where your only challenge is to beat the computer. The great thing about online gaming is that one can actually test one’s skills against the best in this arena. In fact, certain game platforms cater to this by having rankings to determine the champions. There can be no doubt that with this ranking system, gamers have become very motivated to win.
And most gamers take this ranking system quite seriously. Whether it is RPG (role playing games), shooting or strategy games, it is not surprising to see that online gaming is not just a teenage obsession. Online gaming now has a fan following that reaches across all boundaries.
Nowadays, online games are so popular that we can even see annual game tournaments being organized around the world. Professional gamers and amateurs come here lured by the big prizes. Some of these tournaments are so well organized that they are comparable to the high standards of other international sports tournaments with big sponsors and advanced facilities. As a result, the numbers of professional gamers has been increasing.
Their job is to hone their skills and pursue gaming just like any other sports person would. The emergence of online games also created many opportunities for gamers to increase their income. Many people do not realize that with the market becoming so huge and with the race to be at the top, people are actually willing to pay to obtain these virtual online characters. This act is known as “farming”, whereby you develop a character and sell it.
At the same time, online gaming has a number of negatives as well. The world has become so attached to online gaming that many people prefer to interact only through games. They loathe the idea of social interaction. This, of course, is not advisable. In fact, some also link this trend to unhealthy lifestyles because it also means sitting in one position all day without much activity. The greatest victims of online games are young people who cannot fight their obsession for this sit-down sport.
However, one cannot ignore the benefits of gaming either. For instance, by limiting gaming to a certain number of hours a day, there can actually be some positive effects. Scientific studies have found that online games can train the human mind to be agile and alert. Gamers are always exposed to conditions whereby they have to learn to adapt and develop certain strategies in order to survive. As with everything, even gaming has its good and bad effects. Whether you let yourself be affected positively or negatively is your call.
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Notebook As A Tool Of Time Management
Notebook As A Tool Of Time Management
Notebooks have emerged as a bare essential for the business executives who carry their work along with themselves. Notebooks which are also known as laptops can facilitate the work process thereby saving substantial and valuable time. In short, it is used as tool of time management.
Owning a notebook is a dream of many, but since it is very expensive nobody buys it unless it is indispensable to them. However, some people having shoe-string budget look for a good notebook. They are the ones who need detailed and comprehensive information on notebooks and laptops before they settle for one.
Basically, buying a notebook or laptop largely depends upon the personal choice, specific requirement and social status of a person. Besides, different manufacturers are introducing notebooks of different look with a wide-range of features. However, some notebooks are launched in the market to cater to a particular segment of buyers keeping in mind of their specific needs. Accordingly, these laptops differ in flavor, class and quality.
Let`s take a look at the various types of notebooks that are available in the market today. Keeping various factors in consideration the notebooks can be broadly divided into four major categories, such as:
Budget laptops – Typically, these laptops cost around US$ 1000 to $ 1200.
Mid-range laptops – Notebooks of this category can be found with a price-tag of about US00 to 00.
Ultra-portable laptops – These light-weight laptops ranges from US00 to 00.
Laptops for the people with a class apart. With all the standard and advanced features in these notebooks, they cost above US00.
Performance test of laptops:
Notebooks can be tested on the basis of certain benchmarks such as Multimedia content creation 2003 and Business Winston 2002. These tests determine the performance ability of different notebooks with regard to regular productivity applications and multimedia content application.
Similarly, 3D Mark05 and 3D Mark06 are used as standards to measure the gaming and graphic potential of different notebooks.
Likewise, PC Mark05 is taken as a yardstick to test various components of notebooks such as hard-disk general usage, multithreading, web-page rendering, file decryption and 3D pixel shader.
Moreover, the battery back-up and wireless connectivity can be tested using Battery Mark02 and QCheck as the benchmark.
Finally, Vista Compatibility Check can be undertaken to test if the notebooks have Vista-readiness. Under this test, the performance of the laptops is assessed on the basis of Vista drivers and Vista upgradeability.
Features:
When it comes to features, the list seems endless. Some expensive notebooks have the most advanced features such as built-in webcams, fingerprint readers, TPM and so on. So far as the features go, they can be divided into five different categories, such as:
Physical – Screen size and weight of the notebook
Connectivity – Bluetooth version 1/2, infrared, MMC reader, S-Video, DVI port, FireWire. The number and type of USB ports and PCMCIA slots.
Components – Type of optical drives, whether the notebook has a DVD combo, a CD-RW or a multi-recorder DVD-RW. The hard-drive capacity and any additional component such as wireless optical mouse or an MMC adapter.
Software – Software have always been an essential part of the package. These include recovery CDs, driver CDs, OSes, etc.
Protection – All types of protection available in a notebook, be it a finger-print reader, BIOS level HDD protection, touch-pad lock, TPM, or even rescue option available at the time of boot up.
Pricing and Warranty:
All notebooks ranging from 00 to 00 offer warranty of 1 year and some laptops have the option of additional extendable warranty.
So, the above discussed comprehensive analysis and performance tests will definitely help those who are planning to buy a laptop.
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8 Things You Must Know Before Building A PC
8 Things You Must Know Before Building A PC
Perhaps you’re interested in learning how to build your own computer. That’s great, really!
I’ve put together a list of 8 things you MUST know before you ever start to build your own PC. You’ll be in a world of hurt if you don’t have these down.
Tip #1 – Safety First
I hope you didn’t think the last time you’d hear “safety first” was in your Drivers Education classes! Working on any electronics, including computers, has its risks and requires certain precautions. Having said that, what’s the first part you should purchase when building your own computer?
* Motherboard?
* Processor?
* Computer Case?
Nope, those are all wrong. And honestly, they aren’t even close!
A computer tool kit should be the first thing you purchase. Normal household tools aren’t suited to working on a computer because they’re often dirty, rusty, and magnetic. Here are some things you must have in your computer tool kit :
Antistatic wrist band – This is a must-have for any computer builder. Your computer’s components are very sensitive to static electricity. Make sure that you ALWAYS have your antistatic wrist band on when working on your computer. You must attach it to a ground source, usually a large piece of metal works well. This removes any free electrons, which cause static charge, from your body to the ground. Also, as an additional measure, before touching any hardware, touch your computers metal frame. This will also help put your body’s charge at equilibrium with your PC’s.
Needle-nose pliers and Tweezers – These tools are useful when handling small screws and bits of metal. Your computer’s circuitry is very precise and you’ll need some good tweezers and pliers to hold things into place.
Screwdrivers – This is an obvious requirement for computer tool kits. You should have at least one small Phillips and Flathead screwdriver in your kit.
Spare parts container – You’ll be surprised how handy one of these will be. They can be used to store small parts, screws, spacers, etc.
Nut drivers – Although these aren’t a requirement for your tool kit, most tool kits come with some nut drivers. I have yet to use mine, but someday I’ll probably need them.
Small flash light – Most computer tool kits don’t come with a small flashlight, but it is a good thing to have when you’re working in a dark computer case. A keychain type flashlight works great for this purpose!
Also, make sure all of your tools are NOT magnetic. Many screwdrivers for small screws are magnetic to help hold the screw in place. You don’t want this when dealing with your computer hardware because the magnetic field could damage your components.
I can’t stress this enough; having the correct tools is the easiest way to avoid damaging your components that could easily cost you hundreds of dollars. And please turn off and UNPLUG your computer before working on it, the last thing you need is a phobia of computers after you’ve been inadvertently shocked by one.
Tip #2 – Buy everything at once
This is was a major mistake that I made as a rookie computer builder. I know how anxious you may be to build your first computer; I can still remember how excited I was when UPS delivered my first part. But before you start buying parts left & right, you should set down and answer the following questions:
* What do I want to do with my computer?
Simple internet browsing? Word processing? Graphic design? Audio and video editing? Play video games?
* How long do I want this computer to last me?
Only for a couple years. Forever!
The idea here is to decide where your money will be best spent to maximize the use and/or life of your computer parts. For long term and/or intensive use, such as video/image editing, you’ll want something that you can easily upgrade over time. While for short term and/or simpler tasks, a cheaper, less upgradeable PC should work fine.
The easiest way to assure that all of your computer components will be compatible is to purchase them all at the same time. This way you can compare the features and requirements all at once.
I recommend that you start with your motherboard and processor. Many companies sell motherboard & processor bundles . A bundle is great way to start buying your computer parts because usually you’ll get a deal when you buy the processor and motherboard together. In addition, the processor will be compatible in that particular motherboard, which is one less thing you’ll have to worry about.
Next, select the type of RAM that is compatible with your motherboard and decide how many MB’s of power you want with it. Generally 512 MB of RAM will be sufficient. If you plan on doing image/video editing, or playing video games on your PC, 1 GB of RAM would be better suited for this job.
Now you can decide what types of extra components you want, such as a video card, hard drives, CD/DVD drives, etc.
Once you’ve picked those out, determine roughly how much wattage of power you’ll need from your power supply . I’ve attached a power usage chart below with how much each component uses, but these are only averages, so I can’t guarantee this is what you’ll observe.
Device [Power required (Watts)]
Video card [20 – 30]
PCI card [5]
Floppy Drive [5]
CD, DVD-ROM [10-25]
RAM per 128 MB [8]
Hard Drive [15-35]
Motherboard [20-30]
CPU [25-70]
Generally 400 watts should be plenty of power, even for the most power hungry systems you can build. Also consider purchasing a quiet power supply, because the power supply is generally your noisiest piece of hardware. I personally use a 400 Watt Zalman Quiet Power Supply (pictured at left) that I love. It provides tons of power with virtually no sound.
By purchasing everything at once you can ascertain that your computer parts will support all of your computing needs. Another benefit is that you’ll save money on shipping charges by purchasing everything at once rather than separately.
Who Plays Computer Games?
Who Plays Computer Games?
Playing computer games was once reserved for the geek of the class who would shut himself away until the early hours of the morning with no company apart from a joystick. This has changed significantly as the standard of graphics and game play has improved and the use of computers is even more widely accepted. The advance of the Internet has also made sure that online gaming has become increasingly popular allowing people from all around the world to play against one another or in huge online tournaments. The appeal has spread significantly to what it once was.
The first generation of gamers are growing older now and this is coinciding with the introduction of next generation console games that look and sound much better than was ever dreamt possible ten or twenty years ago. AS such, many of these early gamers continue to play console games and computer games meaning what was predominantly a children’s market is shifting upwards in age. It is by no means uncommon for people in their twenties and thirties to be buying the latest games.
As well as being younger, the game market used to consist of almost solely males. Again, this has changed. AS technology has become more and more accessible and accepted in the form of cell phones and computers, the playing of computer games has also increased and there are many girls and women who are just as comfortable behind a control pad or a joystick as the men.
One more factor that has changed in the gaming world is that playing computer games is a solitary existence. Again, the stereotype of previous generations of gamers is kids locked in bedrooms playing fantasy games until midnight. Now, well over half of the people who play computer games do so on the Internet or with their friends on a regular basis.